Dark Matter Detection with the SuperCDMS Experiment

对星系、超星系团、遥远超新星和宇宙微波背景辐射的观测告诉我们，宇宙中85%的物质是由未知粒子组成的。了解暗物质的性质和特性是进一步发展宇宙学、天体物理学和粒子物理学领域的基础，也是塑造我们对宇宙构成的理解的基础。暗物质的主要理论候选者是一类被称为弱相互作用大质量粒子（wimp）的粒子，它可能是在大爆炸时期产生的。通过原子核散射来探测这些粒子的实验工作已经相当成熟，可能在几年内就能做出明确的探测。低温暗物质搜索（CDMS）合作率先使用低温声子介导的探测器来探测罕见的WIMP相互作用，并将它们从背景中区分出来。该合同将为佛罗里达大学在支持SuperCDMS苏丹实验的操作和数据分析方面的继续努力提供支持，对探测器对电子反冲背景的响应进行详细的研发，包括经验和模拟，并为拟部署在SNOLAB拟议的SuperCDMS SNOLAB实验中的设备提供探测器表征和测试程序支持。更广泛的影响：超级cdms实验产生了广泛的影响，超出了暗物质搜索的范围。这项技术的发展将进一步推动声子介导探测器的发展，声子介导探测器已经在宇宙学、天文学和工业中得到了许多应用。这项工作将有助于培养研究生，使用最前沿的测量技术。

Observations of galaxies, superclusters, distant supernovae, and the cosmic microwave background radiation tell us that ~85% of the matter in the universe is made of unknown particles. Understanding the nature and properties of dark matter is fundamental for furthering the fields of cosmology, astrophysics, and particle physics and for shaping our understanding of the makeup of the Universe. A leading theoretical candidate for this dark matter is a class of particles known as Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), which would have been produced at the time of the Big Bang. Experimental efforts to detect these particles via their scattering from atomic nuclei have significantly matured and are possibly within a few years of making a definitive detection. The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) Collaboration has pioneered the use of low temperature phonon-mediated detectors to detect the rare WIMP interactions and distinguish them from backgrounds. This award will provide support for the continuation of the University of Florida's efforts in terms of supporting the operation and data analysis of the SuperCDMS Soudan experiment, performing detailed R&D into detector response to electron recoil backgrounds, both empirically and via simulation, and supporting the detector characterization and testing program for devices intended to be deployed in the proposed SuperCDMS SNOLAB experiment at SNOLAB. Broader impacts: The SuperCDMS experiment has had a broad impact which extends beyond the dark matter search. The technical development will further advance phonon-mediated detectors, which have already found many applications in cosmology, astronomy and industry. This work will contribute to the training of graduate students, using techniques at the leading edge of measurement technologies.